Decision Report 201803549

Summary

Mr C complained about the care and treatment he had received at Dr Gray's Hospital. Mr C, who had a history of heart problems, had attended a consultation at the cardiology unit (the branch of medicine that deals with diseases and abnormalities of the heart) where investigations were carried out and he was told there was no cause for concern. However, Mr C suffered a heart attack three months later and had to be fitted with a stent (tube inserted in a blocked artery to keep it open). Mr C felt that the previous investigations must have shown that he was at risk of a heart attack and that preventative action should have been taken.

We took independent advice from a cardiac consultant. We found that the previous investigations were appropriately carried out and reported on and it was reasonable for the clinicians to have diagnosed that Mr C had mild and stable angina (chest pain). The clinicians involved could not have predicted that Mr C would go on to suffer a heart attack after such a short period of time. We did not uphold the complaint.